iv PREFACE. 



explained in p. 544, 545, and 546. On the part of the employers 

 of gardeners, the desire for extent, quantity, and temporary dis- 

 play has eclipsed the love of excellence, select beauty, and per- 

 manent value. Thus, while a sort of diseased feeling in favour of 

 possessing thousands of house plants in pots, and of displaymg 

 great quantities of showy articles, such as georginas, salvias (excel- 

 lent in moderation), &c., on lawns, has taken place, the perma- 

 nently valuable novelties, such as new species of American or 

 other timber, and ornamental trees and beautiful shrubs, which 

 would remain distinguishing features in the general woods and 

 plantations of an estate for generations, are neglected. Petty, 

 temporary, and minute improvements, in short, supersede such as 

 are grand, comprehensive, and permanent. With respect to order 

 and keeping, we can truly say that we have been disgusted, in 

 even the best places, at seeing so much labour thrown away on 

 what can have no effect but that of creating a demand for more 

 labour. We allude in particular to operations on walks and their 

 edgings, and on dug borders in shrubberies, as explained in 

 p. 404, 405. and 543. ; but we might also include different fan- 

 ciful modes of training fruit trees, of forcing fruits and flowers, 

 and of cultivating exotics, which serve little purpose but that of 

 consuming labour in procuring imperfect productions, or in coun- 

 teracting nature. There are some gardeners who are as fully 

 aware of these things as ourselves ; but they have declared to 

 us, that, if they were not to hoe and rake walks, pare their edges, 

 and dig shrubberies as their neighbours do, they would be con- 

 sidered neglectful of their duty to what was under their charge, 

 and would soon be dismissed from their situations. This has 

 obliged us to be more particular (see p. 548.) than we otherwise 

 should have supposed it necessary to be. 



Convinced as we are that want of taste is the defective point 

 both in gardeners and their employers, what is our duty as Con- 

 ductor of the Gardener's Magazine ? Obviously, to direct our 

 attention in an especial manner to gardening as an art of design 

 and taste ; in other words, to Landscape-Gardening and Garden 

 Architecture. We have also determined to continue the pub- 

 lication of our Illustrations of these subjects, with the variations 

 mentioned in p. 720. For the same reason, we shall in future, in 

 the departments of culture and management, take more pains to 

 show the difference between a profitable application of labour, 

 and the waste of labour. 



In our endeavours to diffuse the knowledge wanted for these 

 purposes, we shall be less anxious to present formal and system- 

 atic treatises, than gradually and incidentally to develope and 

 illustrate particular points. We have hitherto done this in'the 

 notices of our tours, and we are convinced, for the reasons 

 assigned in p. 6t8., that this is by far the best plan for all who 

 have not had their minds previously prepared for deriving in- 

 formation from condensed systematic treatises, which must neces- 

 sarily be, to a certain extent, metaphysical. 



J. C. L. 



Bayiwaler^ Nov. 14. 1831, 



